Northern Irish farmers who need to travel off-farm have been told to carry ID following reports of police questioning agriculture employees.
The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said it had received reports of police checks on farm workers travelling to their place of work and those who must commute to undertake farm-related tasks.
Northern Ireland is currently in the second week of a six-week lockdown in which non-essential retail is closed due to the rising Covid-19 cases.
A stay at home order will become legally enforceable from Friday (8 January).
The UFU has advised farmers who need to travel off-farm to undertake any work-related duties to carry a form of ID that will certify that their journey is in relation to essential work.
"This type of identification could be a letterhead, business card or other paperwork relating to your farm business," a spokesperson for the union said.
"This is particularly important if travelling by ferry, as well as by road."
He added: "The UFU have worked with other industry partners so that all essential workers in the food chain can travel to their workplace.
"We have produced pro-forma letters for agri related businesses to issue to employers whose commute to work is essential."
